Valentino – The Last Emperor

26Jan

If you liked “The September Issue”, you’ll like this too. Valentino is the Italian fashion designer who created the most stunning hand-crafted couture for women for 45 years. In this movie, a team of cameras follow him during the closing years of his career, up to around 2009. His partner of 45 years is Giancarlo Giametti, who is his constant companion during these documented months. Theirs has been a long partnership which is shown full of deep affection, tension and obvious loyalty. Valentino says he knows what women want – “they want to be beautiful” – and he creates the clothes to make that happen. The movie is really interesting – the process to create each collection is intricate, Valentino’s eye for detail and style is stunning and fascinating to watch.

There is a parallel theme running through this story. The Valentino business is under financial stress and there are various scenario’s played out in the business side of the organisation – leading to the conclusion of the movie and Valentino’s ultimate retirement. The real treasure in this movie is the creative process in the fashion that we are priviledged to see.